A sling often is used with an elongate weapon such as a rifle or shotgun. The purposes for the sling include not only carrying the weapon, often in a choice of multiple positions, but also steadying the weapon during firing. In order to serve multiple purposes and allow the weapon to be carried and fired in multiple positions, the sling has evolved from a single strap into a sophisticated system of various straps, loops, snaps, rings, friction slides and buckles. An important feature of a sling is the ease and speed with which it can be convened from one configuration to another. For this reason, the snaps, rings, slides, and buckles are intended to be operated easily and quickly. Generally, each sling serves these functions: (1) weapon carrying, by providing a basic shoulder strap connected between the butt and stock of the weapon; (2) strap length adjustment, varying the effective length of the shoulder strap to fit the shooter, such as by buckles or by looped strap and friction slide; (3) weapon release and steadying, allowing rapid movement to firing position, generally involving release of two portions of the sling so that the gun stock gains increased freedom of movement. The third function is critical to users, whether military, police, or sportsman, since aiming and shooting often require fast response. As described below, the art has employed a release mechanism such as a hook, spring tongue clip, or snap to free a slidable cord or steadying strap connected to the weapon stock, allowing increased movement of the weapon stock while causing the sling to cinch around the shooter's body. The shooter gains a bracing effect from the cinching and then can steady the weapon from the taunt steadying strap. However, the shooter wants the release to be quick, silent, positive, reliable, and complete. Any delay or fault in this function is certain to be unacceptable.
A sling has distinct front and rear ends, determined by the fit on the weapon. Typically the weapon carries a swivel on its butt and another swivel on its stock, and the sling attaches its mar end to the butt swivel and its front end to the stock swivel. This orientation is important because the sling will carry its release mechanism near the front or stock end for ready access.
The basic carrying function is met by a single run of flat strap attached between the butt swivel and stock swivel. In primitive form, such a strap can become length-adjustable by the addition of an intermediate buckle, coupled with a suitable excess length of strap. However, it is much more common to provide a substantial extra length of strap, to loop the first run of strap through the butt swivel, and to bring back the excess as a second run in parallel with the first run. The terminal end of this second run can be fixed to the center bar of a friction slide, which is slidably carried on the first run. Thus, the strap becomes length adjustable by moving the friction slide along the first run, with the second run being shortened to supply any needed additional length or lengthened to take in any excess from the first run. The structural modifications for converting such a length-adjustable sling to a stock-releasing sling with a steadying strap can best be described by reference to the following patents from the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,185 to Moomaw discloses a one-piece, three-run strap sling that is adaptable to various weapon carrying positions. One end of the strap is fixedly attached to the center bar of a three-bar friction slide. From this attachment point, the strap defines a first, length adjusting run extending forward toward the weapon stock until it loops back around the center bar of a three-bar twin loop, which also has respective upper and lower bars defining an upper and a lower loop. From the twin loop, the strap forms a second, carrying run extending rearwardly, on weapon-facing side of the first run, slidably weaving through the friction slide, and continuing rearwardly through the butt swivel. From the butt swivel, the strap again extends forwardly as a third, weapon steadying run on the face of the sling opposite from the weapon, passes through the lower loop of the twin loop, weaves through a hook buckle, passes around the stock swivel, and is woven back into the hook buckle, where the second end of the strap is secured. The hook portion of the hook buckle is engageable with and disengageable from the upper bar of the twin loop. This arrangement permits sling length to be adjusted by moving the friction slide with respect to the second run, similar to the general description given above. The shooter can carry the weapon by passing the sling over his body with the first and second runs behind him and the third run in front. Then, by disengaging the hook buckle from the twin loop, the shooter quickly and easily can pull the third, weapon steadying run through the lower loop of the twin loop, providing needed freedom to raise the stock to firing position. Thus, the weapon can be moved quickly and easily from carrying position to shooting position by merely unhooking the twin loop from an open, fixed hook.
A two-run strap sling is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,495,770 to Seltmann, Jr., et al. The first, weapon carrying run of this sling is multi-segmented and is formed of a long, flat first strap portion attached by a length adjustable, looped end to a butt swivel. This first run extends forwardly almost to the stock and serves as the basic carrier. Just before the stock, this flat, weapon carrying strap terminates in a slide ting. A separate short, flat strap segment is attached to the stock swivel in another length adjustable loop. The short segment is engageable to and disengageable from the slide ring of the longer segment by use of a spring tongue hook. The second run is a weapon steadying slide cord that extends from the short strap, through the slide ting, and rearwardly to the butt end loop of the flat strap. In use, the first run of sling is worn behind the shooter's body and the slide cord is worn in front of the shooter's body. When the spring tongue hook is released from the slide ting, the slide cord easily moves through the slide ring, and the weapon is moved quickly and easily to firing position. The Seltmann patent also provides for length adjustment of the long and short flat straps by buckles in the loops at the butt and stock ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,1822,469 to Bennett discloses another two-run sling. The first run, a weapon steadying strap, is attached to the stock swivel and extends rearwardly, looping through the butt swivel. The strap continues as a second, weapon carrying run that extends forwardly from the loop and terminates in a slide ring. The first run passes through this slide ring, which can move easily over the length of the first run. A short snap strap segment is connected to the stock swivel and carries a snap fastener, while the stock end of the second run carries the mating snap rivet just rearwardly of the slide ring. The snap is engaged in order to fasten the slide ring near the stock swivel, such as when the weapon is in carrying position. When the snap is disengaged, the first run is pulled easily through the slide ring, allowing the stock to be moved easily to firing position.
The Bennett patent provides an optional length adjustment for the sling by breaking the second run, allowing excess strap length for various amounts of overlap at the break, and providing multi-position hooks that mate with selected holes in the second run at the desired amount of overlap. A commercial product known by the trademark Action Sling, sold by Slings 'N Things, of P.O. Box 4053, Omaha, Nebr. 68104, is similar to the product described in the Bennett patent but substitutes a length adjuster of the friction slide type. The stock end of the second run is broken on the butt side of the rivet fastener, and the second run loops back under itself, forming a third, length adjusting run that extends to a terminating attachment to the center bar of a three bar friction slide, which is slidably carried by the second run. The loop between the second and third runs carries a fastening ring, which also is attached to the stock end segment of the second run near the snap rivet. Thus, the second run becomes length adjustable by movement the friction slide. The snap fastener remains the means for releasing the second run and slide ring when the weapon is to be raised to firing position, as previously described. The problems of the prior art are in the function of the release mechanism, which has been unreliable or overly difficult to operate. For example, the open hook of the Moomaw patent could become disconnected inadvertently, if the sling were in a slack condition. The spring tongue fastener of the Seltmann patent requires substantial effort to unfasten and does not allow quick release. The snap fastener of the Bennett patent can be separated inadvertently under tension or by accidentally brushing the snap strap segment. Also, a snap creates noise during opening, which can be undesirable in some uses.
It would be desirable to have a sling with a release mechanism that is secure under tension. Similarly, it would be desirable to have a releasable fastener that is difficult to actuate accidentally. A desirable additional feature would be for such a releasable fastener to be quiet in use.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the weapon sling and release mechanism of this invention may comprise the following.